Flavia Kleiner

“Populism is like lead,” says 26-year-old Flavia Kleiner. “It suffocates society and blocks out the light.” As the face of the political movement Operation Libero, the blonde, blue-eyed history student has led a small army of volunteers to push back against her country’s swing toward the far right.

The group’s success in rallying voters against “popular initiatives” spearheaded by the anti-immigrant Swiss People’s Party (SVP) has changed the conversation in Switzerland. Its methods could also be a blueprint for how to rebrand — and reinvigorate support for — the political center across Europe.

When a popular initiative to limit immigration passed by a narrow margin in 2014, Kleiner was struck by how no political party had defended the country’s liberal values. She set out to remind voters of what was at stake: Switzerland could either remain a bastion of liberal values, or it could become “a museum for an imagined past.”

Switzerland’s model of direct democracy — any group can force a vote on an issue by gathering 100,000 signatures in 18 months — is a “brilliant idea at its basis,” says Kleiner, but it has been co-opted as a “marketing tool” by the SVP. Raking in 30 percent of the vote, the media-savvy populist party is the country’s largest political force. It has relied heavily on grassroots campaigning to gather signatures to push Switzerland to the right.

Direct democracy — hailed by populists such as the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) as an ideal model of governance — also requires near constant political campaigning. The competition for people’s attention, not to mention their hearts and minds, is fierce. Kleiner’s first major success came in 2016, when Operation Libero led the charge to defeat a bill that would have given the government license to deport foreigners for breaking the law — including for a simple speeding ticket. From across the political spectrum, Kleiner had been told it would be impossible to win on a platform of defending “immigrant criminals.”

“I understand people who are afraid of a changing world. But we want to create a certain optimism about the future” — Flavia Kleiner

Kleiner — who grew up attending political events with her mother, a mayor — believes in simple language. She chalks up the movement’s first successes to speaking with voters “at eye level” and reclaiming talk of “Swiss values,” the rule of law and respect for the constitution, from the SVP. She has retreated from Operation Libero’s day-to-day operations to focus on its long-term strategy (and on finishing her university thesis). She says the group is set to graduate from being a watchdog to proactively setting the tone of debate.

In the meantime, the movement has its work cut out for it, as Switzerland heads for a Brexit-like vote next year on whether to “take back control” from foreign judges and international bodies. It’s by far “the most dangerous popular initiative” the country has seen, says Kleiner. A vote to limit freedom of movement is expected to take place in 2019, ahead of a national election, as is a vote on the so-called burqa ban.

The key, she says, is to upend the doomsday narrative peddled by the SVP. “I can really understand people who are afraid of a changing world,” says Kleiner. “But we want to create a certain optimism about the future … We’re looking forward to the year 2050.”

Flavia Kleiner cheers for the defeat of a right-wing proposal to expel all delinquent foreigners from the country last year | Lukas Lehmann/EPA

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WHAT WORKS WHEN FIGHTING POPULISM?

By Flavia Kleiner

1. Start with conviction

Believe you can change the debate. Populism is not inevitable. Populist parties have just done a good job of making the most noise.

2. Reframe the issue

Remind voters of what is at stake. Ask them to consider what they want their country to look like. Challenge the populists to defend themselves — bring them onto your battlefield.

3. Work with facts

Populists like to fudge the data. Fact-check every statement. Point out every mistake.

Kleiner, holding a banner after the referendum vote in 2016 | Manuel López/EPA

4. Use simple language

Speak to voters in the simplest language. Not because they’re stupid, but because they have other things to think about. To grab a headline, distill your message to one picture and five words. Social media is your friend here: Work with memes, gifs, social media, video, testimonials.

5. Become a fighter

Go far out of your comfort zone. Face the trolls. Engage with the people who yell at you in the street. Give yourself a bulletproof vest of arguments and anecdotes to answer any question, win any confrontation.

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SIX MORE QUESTIONS

You can change one thing about the EU. What is it?

More women in leading positions.

Who are your heroes?

Muhammad Ali for being a crushing fighter and at the same time charming, polite and a sensitive thinker. He was just a poet in his own way.

What’s the most important issue nobody talks about?

Europe needs to find common ground on its future.

Tell us something surprising about yourself.

I love to stand at the edge of a building site and observe the machines and the construction going on.